The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-11-17
FROM POVERTY TO PLENTY
AStory of Long Suffering from Distress
ing Need with a Happy Ending.
A Family Who Have Experienced Trying Mis-
fortunes About to Come into Possession
of an Estate Of Immense Value.

LIVING IN room OF the Riley BLOCK, corner ol
Washington and California streets. surrounded
with all the evidences of want and squalor that
years of poverty can bring, are two old and in
firm persons, husband and wife, who are to-day
among the happiest people in Indianapolis, be-
they likely to be among the
richest These persons are billiard Brewins and
his wife Anna After almost score of years
spent in eking out u living by hard ework. with
occasional assistance from the charity organiza-
hons of the city, they are about to come into
the possession of fortune that will make them
independent. There is something of romance
in the story of their life. Mr.. Brewins is past
fifty years of age, and his wife is perhaps a few
years younger. Their only children are two
daughters, both grown, and of them is
married. Both Mr.. and Mrs. Brewins were
born in the Lehigh valley of Pennsylvania, and
descendants of family of weIl-to-do Penn
sylvania Germans. When she was quite young
the parents of Mrs Brewins died, and the
orphan was adopted by of the richest fam
lies in the Lehigh valley, owning several hun
dred acres of land in the most productive region.
When the orphan became girl of manageable
age she was courted and wed by billiard Brew
ms, a laborer in the mines. Soon after the mar
riage the couple came to Indianapolis where
Mr.. Brewins continued to do manual labor of
broke out he enlisted in the Twentieth Indiana
Artillery, and served until the close of the war;
When it was over he returned to his home and
family, broken in health and financially worth
nothing. Then the struggle for existence be-
gan. Several years ago he applied for pen
sion, but account of missing link in his
evidence he was unsuccessful until recently
when Congressman Bynum took his case in
hand, and succeeded in getting his claim al
INrxra hx,,,~ d nn
s., 00O but there are even better Things in store
for the old couple than that Mrs. Brewins is
the only heir of her adopted parents in Pennsyl
vanla, and their estate is worth hundreds of
thousands According to information received
at the township trustees Office, both the god
father and god mother are dead and the vast
wealth will fall to Mrs. BrewinS in the near
future but the woman herself says only her
god father is dead, and that she will not get the
money until the mother dies There seems to
be no doubt about the commences of the wind
fall.
A Journal reporter visited the aged couple
in their uninviting home last evening, but they
looked upon him with suspicion, and were not
willing to say much about the expected fortune.
The room they occupy is small one the sec
ond floor of the Riley Block. In the hallway
leading to the room hang clothes that Mrs. Brew
ms had just finished washing in order to keep
the wolf from the door until the approaching
better day comes. Mrs. Brewins answered the
rap of the reporter and invited him in. There i
was no carpet on the floor. and the only furni-
ture a small cook-stove, dining table,
q
Upon the latter reclined Mr. Brewins, who is
blind.
Yes we'll have plenty of money in little
while [ guess" said Mrs. Brewins in answer to
a question from the reporter Husbands pen
sion has been allowed. and that will bring in
about 81 500. think. We need it bad enough.
surely. He has gone stone blind, and L and my
daughter have had to make the living for many
months by washing. Sometimes have had
to call on the township for help. but that goes
pretty hard with u.s. tell you, for we We're not
raised that way"
rs it really true that you have a fortune
coming to you fromsP ensy lvaniaF
When the question asked Mrs. ReeyiSs-
hesitated. and the blind husband interposed
with, 1--WE oughtent to be talking about that"
Mrs Brewins seemed to desire to evade the ques-
ton, but finally said, 1--WE don't know how soon
will get it, but we have very large estate
coming to US, or to me. am the only heir, and
unless L am cheated out of it reckon viii get
it."
The woman. at the suggestion of her husband,
declined to talk further about the coming for
tune for fear that if people knew about it
they might be cheated out of 1t. Mrs BrewinS
would not give the names of her adopted
parents and would not say where the estate is
located.
Mr. Frank Wright of the township trustees
Office has devoted some time to investigating
the matter and with the exception OF the fam
lily physician is the only person in the city who
knows much about the farlilys expected wind
fall Mr.. Wright finds that the estate coming
to Mrs. Brewins consists of six hundred acres of
coal territory in the Lehigh Valley, valued at
several hundred Thousand dollars The estate
is being looked after by representatives of Mrs
Brewins in Pennsylvania. who have notified Mr..
and Mrs. Brewins that they will soon come into
possession of this property.
Last January Mr. Brewins eyesight began to
fall and he was obliged to quit work He
then employed at the street-car stables.
West street. His eyes have continued to grow
worse until he is now totally blind. Since Jan
uary the family has occasionally received as
sistance from the trustees. Mr.. Brewins had
his eve trouble treated at the dispensary. and |
the physicians there think that when he gets |
his money and secures proper medical treatment |
his sight will partially return.